Out to lunch until May

Hi all, I'd love to be posting paintings but I'm out to lunch temporarily.  See you in May :))

Place Colette - Paris

Place Colette - Paris

60x60 cm, oil on linen.

Who doesn't know Colette, what a femme!

and here is a better photo of the Hotel du Louvre

my palette- work in progress

Recently I was contacted and asked to share my palette.  Here is a photo:

From left to right the colors are:

on top left -Ivory black (it is reddish because the tube I bought was slightly defective, but the color is fantastic - kind of a mixture of cadmium red middle with ivory black), left front is Ivory Black, then second on top left is Prussian blue, Phtalo Green, Ultra Marine blue, Cobalt violet, Quinachridone, Ochre, Permanent Red, Cadmium Red middle, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Yellow middle, Titanium White.  The light green on the left is some color that I bought by mistake and can't remember the name. The  light blue next to it is left over of mixture.  

I use a medium to dilute the oils that consists of 98%  thinner (not turpentine) a few drops of refined linseed oil and a few drops of crystal varnish.  I use cotton rags to clean my brushes with.

When I start a painting I usually begin with the most important colors that set a tone to the painting.   Here is the next night scene of Paris 

Hotel Du Louvre

Hotel du Louvre

60x60cm oil on linen

This photo was taken with my HTC phone and doesn't do the painting justice.  So many colors are washed out.  When the batteries recharge on my serious camera I'll get a better image. 

Anyway the I like the painting because it is of that hour of the day in Paris which is so special, the BLUE HOUR.  It is my pet - the parisian blue hour - when all the terraces fill for the apero, especially on warmer days.  

Happy birthday Caterina V.!

152 Rosa Rossa

153 Rosa Rossa

15x15cm oil on gesso board

Happy Birthday, Love!

152 Rose Rouge

 152 Rose rouge

15x15cm, oil on gessoboard

Nothing more humbling than painting a flower.  This red rose was a gift from a lovely young girl who is staying in my Parisian studio for a few days.  Seems everyone has stayed here, the crash pad, but it is a pleasure to help a young girl more than anyone.  

Beep Beep! - back to NYC

Beep Beep!

50x50cm oil on canvas

More and more I want to abstract what I am painting.  It's like jazz, I don't really like jazz but only a person with a hellova technique can play jazz.    I feel like I know what I'm doing so now it's time to have fun.

Child portrait

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Villaggio del Valdarno

Villaggio del Valdarno
20x40cm oil on gessoboard
The Appenines on the horizon in the Valdarno set off the houses on the ridge.  Sting lives over there.  You can find his villa easily because the paparazzi hang around the gate with super-powered lenses attached to their necks.

Vineyard in Chianti

Vineyard in Chianti

30x30cm oil on gessobard

The road from San Donato in Poggio to Castellina in Chianti is always an inspiration.  Oe thing I love about this area is the levels of valleys that make wonderful atmoshperic perspective.